Hysterectomy Day and After - diary

Hi Marmite fan 

It's so good to hear how well you're doing(and behaving) lol. I'm not due a hysterectomy (even though at the start I was convinced I would be) iv chemo-radiation and brachytherapy to look forward to instead  your progress has been an inspiration to many on here. I look forward to following your diary entrants!

 Best Wishes and speedy recovery.

Angela xx

Top tip for the veg - if there is no-one around to lift the saucepan for you - pick them out with a slotted spoon.

Great tip Little Runner! 

Hi It’s good to know that you are doing well.  I found that it was after a couple of weeks and I started to feel so much better that I also started to overdo things.  I started to think I could do everything again which did set my recovery back a few days.  Getting over a major operation does take some time and patience.  After 7weeks I would say that I am 90% back to normal so keep on being positive and doing what you can but remember to be kind to yourself XX

I started doing this after my hysterectomy 6 years ago and have been doing it ever since.  It is particularly useful for Pasta where you use a lot of water in the saucepan.  I bale out and empty the water once it's cool.  However can someone explain why there are always one or two pieces of penne lurking at the bottom of the pan when you are sure you got it all out?

Day 5 - yesterday my slightly leaking incision leaked a shard of dried glue and then stopped leaking! So it seems my body was rebelling against the glue! Great that it wasn’t oozing any more but it did mean it was an open wound, small but about 2mm deep, so I phoned the ward for advice this morning and was told to lightly bathe it 3 times a day in cooled salted boiled water and to let them know if it got inflamed or hot at all. The other two incisions seem fine.

Enjoyed my 5 minute morning walk so much that I considered going for a slightly longer one this afternoon with husband and dog, but when it came to it I didn’t feel totally up to it so I didn’t. Maybe tomorrow! 

Delighted to note a 4lb weight loss since my op due to my appetite being low - it’s mainly that I’m just having breakfast and dinner, and just having drinks at lunchtime and through the day. Trying to listen to my body and if I feel light headed or a bit achey I put my feet up and play my word games. Going to try going out for lunch with my husband tomorrow! 

I was a same day home from Northampton - away from the house for less than 15 hours back in October 2020. Was definitely spaced out on the way home, tripping over the front doorstep on way in and then straight up the stairs to bed. Glad I didn't have to stay overnight (although had brought all necessary items) as food wasn't great.

Hi Dreamweaver, that’s interesting - my consultant is new to the hospital (Southampton) and told me he’s intending to introduce a same day hysterectomy within the next year. I was wondering how it would work out in practice as after my op I had my obs done first every half hour, then every hour then every two hours then every four from 6am the day. And didn’t have my catheter removed till 6am the day after.

I didn't have a catheter: I was told I could leave once I produced clear pee. I was first in to surgery (around 9am) and through recovery and into ward early afternoon. Regular obs and offered some food around 5pm. Managed to walk to loo round about that time (producing cloudy pee) and drank lots of water (resulting in clear pee by 7pm). Consultant did ward round about that time and told me not to overdrink too soon (I assume to minimise risk of full bladder prolapsing?). Nurse then came and gave me my first blood-thinning injection and explained how to do this, and then I was discharged.

Haven't seen consultant since as she moved to Oxford, and I was transferred back to Milton Keynes after brachytherapy about 8 weeks later. 

That’s very interesting Dreamweaver and I’d definitely have preferred that as I had a lot of discomfort from the catheter from the start. Did you have a GA or a spinal? Hopefully the same day option will soon become commonplace in more hospitals.